Donut Holes
by Ludella
Summary: Etihw didn't steal his sweets this time, and maybe that's what made it worse. They were hidden in plain sight-just not Kcalb's.


Wodahs had made donuts. Specifically, donuts for his brother. For Kcalb. Of course the devil knew that he wouldn't get them all, as by just walking through the hallway one could lose half of their food from the other castle dwellers. But for the most part, they were _his_. Not anybody else's, and Wodahs has declared so as well.

For that reason he had innocently expected that when the tray came around, he would get a few of the pastries. At least half of the batch.

But God was never on his side, especially when she was always the culprit.

When he woke up from a small nap at the table to see an empty platter and a rather satisfied Etihw licking a crumb off her fingers, he had every reason to be upset. He was at a loss for words while deciding whether he felt like yelling or crying. Or perhaps both; it wouldn't be new.

"Oh, you finally woke up. I was thinking of taking you to your coffin in a minute," she greeted casually with a small wave. He could see the tips of her fingers were still wet… and completely cleaned off. She must have taken all the crumbs from the tray as well.

"...where's dessert." Kcalb was trying to speak as rationally as he could despite his mind having already made its verdict. He wouldn't be tricked by whatever she came up with this time, not again, especially when it was spelled out so _obviously_ before him.

Wiping her hands on her robe, Etihw offered a smile-less devious than she'd wear for teasing him. Rather she appeared as if she were biting the inside of her cheek to hold something back. "I ate my share-only two, just like you told me to. Ater and Arbus took theirs and left a while ago."

He wasn't really in the mood to hold back his anger another moment. Not with what was at stake. "But where are the _other_ eight?!" he burst, voice rising. "Where are mine?!"

"What? I gave them to you, calm down." She said it with such a straight face and… the worst part was that she didn't even look like she was lying this time.

But Kcalb was smarter than to just blindly believe everything she told him. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning-"

"-and afternoon when you snuck into the kitchen for that pudding, but go on."

"-_since this morning_, and I know I didn't have any of Wod's baking. I would remember it." He was 100% positive on that. Plus it wasn't like he could eat them all at once-he'd keep them for a while and savor them. It just so happened that it didn't take very _long_ at all to enjoy them and they were usually gone within a few minutes. But he _definitely_ would have remembered it-Wod's sweets were what made his day.

Etihw hummed, giving a shrug as if she was just as clueless. "They're right there though, I seriously didn't take them. Trust me a little more."

That's all it took to start another argument. To be more precise, it was closer to Kcalb throwing accusations her way only to be shot down each time. As usual, Etihw never lost her composure the entire time, nodding along and speaking too reasonably for someone he was sure was in the wrong. She was usually level-headed during any argument as long as he didn't bring up things of the past, and the only history that mattered right now was the record he had started keeping of all the times she'd eaten his food. As silly as it sounded (and he was told so by everyone in the castle who knew of it) these were the times it came in handy to at least get _some_ leverage.

And as usual once again, it took Wodahs entering the room for him to stop.

"Brother… what are you doing?" he asked upon teleporting near their table, startling them both. They were immediately silent, despite Kcalb refusing to lighten up. He would have fought back more actively if not for the judgemental (and slightly...disappointed?) look Wodahs was giving him, arms at his sides. Kcalb hadn't thought his argument was so farfetched to get such an expression from the angel, but maybe he had gotten more worked up than he should have.

"Eti won't fess up to stealing my share of the food _you_ made for me, that's what," he tried to explain, crossing his arms indignantly while Etihw smiled on.

...why did Wodahs look so disappointed?

He gave a heavy sigh, lifting a hand to hold the bridge of his nose as he usually did when exasperated with the two of them. Though neither of them never had or simply couldn't remember their parents, Wodahs made a spitting image of one. He opened his mouth to speak, just to close it a moment after rethinking his words.

"Please find them soon, brother." With just that defeated plea, he left, leaving Kcalb even more confused than before. Wod wasn't going to accuse Eti at all? Even when it was _so_ obvious? He turned to glare at her, only to receive a satisfied giggle in return. There wasn't any way she and Wodahs could be working together…

Just then, another pair of guests intruded on them right when Kcalb was about to start his bickering back up. As expected, it was none other than the two gray gardeners who bothered them most frequently (or rather, the _one_ who dragged another with her wherever they went).

"Hey, Etihw! What's up, old man!" Yosafire happily greeted the two, earning a fond wave from Eti and a deep breath from Kcalb to keep from lashing out at them. At her side, Froze addressed the two more formally, nudging her friend's arm for being so casual.

"Hello girls! What brings you here today?" They were on much simpler terms ever since the last war, and most of the students now came to visit whatever chance they could. It made for a livelier palace, that was for sure. Especially when Etihw had started even inviting the kids over when things were dull. They'd all gotten a bit too close for Kcalb to relax, not that he disliked them at all.

Yosafire skipped her way up to the edge of the room, Froze grumbling behind her something about not running. "Dialo's trying out a new recipe today, and wanted to know if you two would like t' try them first! Or, you know, just give them to us…"

"Yosaf!" Froze hissed, glaring at her friend while the demon laughed it off.

Etihw shook her head with a shrug. "Sorry, Wodahs made sweets for the castle today, so you can have Dialo's baking allll to yourself this time!"

"Says you…" Kcalb grumbled with a dirty glance his God's way.

Turning to Kcalb, Yosafire opened her mouth to make some comment or another on his sweet tooth (a discovery he wished Eti had never let slip) before closing it again, brow raising the longer she stared.

"...what?"

Eti was beginning to snicker and covered her mouth. Never a good sign.

"Old man… are you saving them for later?"

Etihw lost it right then, unable to hold back the loud laugh she had been keeping down since earlier. With an unknown question posed his way and his troublemaker having the time of her life across the table, Kcalb immediately began to panic.

"What-What do you mean?!"

"You're really clever! I never thought of doing that!" Yosafire giggled what she thought was a compliment. "Though I guess I can't with just one, huh…" As she lifted a hand to the top of her head, Kcalb mimicked her actions until his fingers were at his horns.

...and felt the softness of pastries instead.

His face immediately went bright red.

"I was-helping you save them, Kcalb! The one place I thought you could never lose them!" Etihw stuttered out between laughs, eventually dying down to consistent snickers. Taking Yosafire's sleeve in hand, Froze ushered the two of them out of the room after reading the mood, though Kcalb could distinctly see a smile on her face as she turned away. The angel had caught on before her friend.

"I… can't _believe you, idiot_!"

Kcalb stood, trying to carefully remove the donuts from his horns as quickly as possible. He would have to clean them now… how disgusting. The baked goods themselves were still alright but-

Dropping them on the tray, Kcalb stormed out of the room with them, face blood red and ears practically ringing with the sound of his partner's laughter behind him.

"Stupid Eti!"


End file.
